Ashley & Brad - Lexington, Kentucky

Recently we had the opportunity to head down to Lexington, Kentucky and photograph Ashley & Brad’s day…we knew from the plans it was going to be a full day of shooting with a whole variety of great opportunities for shots! First up was stopping by the Griffin Gate Marriott resort where everyone was getting ready…I do think the girls may have set a possible record of number of people in the room – I think at one point there had to easily be over a dozen people in there – but great moments for photos kept showing themselves without much trouble at all. Here’s a variety that both Deanna and myself shot at the hotel…..(**Brides that are booking their photographers for 2009 please see the note at the bottom!**) ...there’s a huge amount I’m going to share - so here we go!

Of course sometimes things can get a little stressful as everyone's trying to get ready for the wedding - but that wasn't the case at all this day - even with a complete roomful of people! The atmosphere was quite relaxed and everyone was just enjoying the day. Perfect for capturing those little moments...

There were also some wonderful detail opportunities....

Ashley's grandmother's handkerchief...I guess that qualifies as something blue and borrowed...

A little fun with the elevator....!

Of course in Lexington there's horses everywhere...bronze or not! We did a quick stop at Thoroughbred Park in downtown where Ashley & Brad got to see each other for the first time...

I told Deanna we had to get a good shot of her using her ShootSac to send in to Jessica Claire...for our fellow photogs - if you're not familiar with the ShootSac - check it out...they are great for our style of fast paced, on the go photography. If you like to change lenses a lot like us - it can really come in handy. I also just thought it was fun how Deanna could shoot with her shades on, hold another pair for a bridesmaid, and still be able to look stylish with her ShootSac......

While it was a little warm out - we had a good amount of time with all of the bridal party wandering around downtown before the ceremony.....

Ceremony was at the beautiful Saint Peter Church...and the opportunity for some great backlighting really doesn't get any better...!

Just before Ashley & Brad's exit.....

The reception was at Spindletop Hall...a private club for University of Kentucky alumni and staff. The place is absolutely gorgeous and the staff provided excellent service from everything we saw. It was originally built in the 1930's - with over 45,000 square feet of space. The place has a wonderful warmth to it....I would certainly love to photograph there again sometime.

You gotta love the horseshoes...!

I have more couples tell me that one of there favorite times of the day is when I take them out for some quiet time during the reception. It gives them a little break - time to catch their breath - and is a great chance to get some more intimate shots. With Ashley & Brad, everything was very fast paced and it looked like we were losing some really nice sunset light - but we actually caught the last few minutes when it took on this really nice, soft glow. Some clouds were building in the west and actually helped us to get some incredible light....at Spindletop they have a huge, long tree-lined driveway and fences...perfect for a wonderful Kentucky wedding!

Back inside the reception continued on with the focus being in the old library, where the wood floors made it into one large dance room!

In the midst of all the partying I manged to find this "quiet" moment with Ashley
that I really loved....

One thing I always love to see is a DJ with a lot of lights...it makes experimenting fun!
..and have fun I did....

Just in case you might wonder...there was actually 2-3 times as many people in the following shot - but because of the long exposure not everyone shows!

Well there you go! Thanks to Ashley & Brad for a really great day! We wish you two all the best!

** 2009 Brides: Currently as part of me offering you two professional photographer coverage for your wedding day, most of those will be Deanna Keeton and myself...please ask for details, packages and check wedding date availability for both of us!..and watch this blog for additional details and announcements!**

Newborn Session...Royce at 3 weeks.....

Thought I would share a few photos from this recent newborn session with Royce at three weeks old!

Big brother going in for a kiss on the cheek...

Of course I love to experiment with low lighting and see what kind of light play and textures you can bring out in a session...it's a great way to bring in something completely unique every time!

Huge wedding blog and the "Thunderstorm Street Session"!

Over the years of shooting weddings, I never really had a strong desire to bring on a second photographer - but that definitely changed recently when a couple of very good (photographer) friends joined in the fun! Part of my issue in the past was finding others that "made sense" both in style and how you interact with each other. I've known plenty of photographers over the years that just "hire on" someone who can shoot competently...but that wasn't enough for me.

First up was me second shooting for Deanna Keeton. The results worked out extremely well - so much so that we ended up deciding to help each other out for the rest of the year whenever our booked dates didn't conflict. Right behind that weekend was Chris Mathews second shooting for me at Kate & Jason's wedding. Both of those experiences just made perfect sense given not only their talent in shooting, but also how each of us worked together as a team. Our agreement between us has been to just let the second shooter "shoot away" - just look for the cool stuff! Of course the having two people in two different places comes in handy too! Here's one example that Chris shot from the balcony at Kate & Jason's wedding while I was down front capturing the processional...

In addition to capturing the bride and groom - we're capturing each other a little bit too - and also doing some experimenting with little video clips we can incorporate into some slide shows later (in all of my lack of free time!). I'll be uploading some of the results to YouTube a little later this summer. That being said - here's a nice little update of some recent images! Here's a couple of shots Chris took of me while shooting.... It's good to give a little direction every now and then! Especially to the guys!

Next up was me second shooting for Deanna again for a couple more weddings...first was Mandy & Chad - and they were phenomenal! we could have just kept shooting the two of them all day long!...and they were up for it too....let's face it - Mandy is gorgeous - and can handle the tight close-ups with ease - so I took advantage of that quite a bit!

We worked this small stairwell pretty good that had some great light coming in - Deanna grabbed this one of me doing some solo shots of Mandy - I remember at one point nearly climbing the wall to try and get the angle I wanted...

Here was one result....

We kept Mandy working for quite awhile - and Deanna took this killer shot of her...

Another quick grab shot...

Right after the ceremony we followed them into their little hideaway room - I got there just after Deanna and saw this little opportunity as she shot away...



With things in bloom...we worked them a little more.... :)

Sensing just how open these two were to ideas...Deanna turned to me and asked if I thought they might be up for some shots in the old cemetery next to the church...I must admit I hesitated a bit! But before I knew it she was asking Mandy and her eyes lit up! "Sure!, let's go!" Here's one of Deanna's....

Then it was my turn as we went back into the church to gather our stuff and head to the reception..."..one more idea!" The room the guys got ready in had christmas lights hung up in it - I couldn't resist the temptation!



Well, a little later I was helping Deanna again at the "cute" little Willow Tree Inn bed & breakfast north of Dayton in Tipp City. Lots of opportunity all over the place! Brick and wood...cute grounds, a bridge..and killer light in the barn where the reception was! The cake shot really captured the feeling of the reception light...

Once again...handling two places at once...while Deanna handled the front view of the processional - I followed Erin and her dad as they neared the center aisle...

Great moment with Erin's mom....



...some good goofing off too!

Here's Deanna showing her talent of smiling and joking while trying to herd family members and bridal party!!!

Erin dancing with her father...(the tough part for us dad's with girls..)

Of course you've got to make good use of any tree lined entrance way!

I LOVE to break rules and take chances....so when I saw not only one set of windows I could shoot the two of them through - but TWO - I had to try it.... :)

There was also this killer red barn that had it's wood slats sagging big time!

The reception just had this incredible light to it....it helped to make for a memorable boquet toss too...this bridesmaid literally nearly jumped right out of her dress to get the boquet! I loved the other looks and background action on this one - a true HCB "decisive moment"!

I really love "rough" b&w shots like this one of Erin dancing....again - the light really lent itself to that kind of style....



Then a couple weekends ago I had a nice little "Street Session" with Misty & Jeremy here in Dayton. The cool thing was I finally got to have a Street Session end in the rain too...short lived but still cool. Here's a few samples.....

Just a couple days before the shoot - I had heard that our "Riverscape Fountains" were up and running again (they've had issues since they were built). They are actually five fountains (literally fire boat nozzles) that combine in the middle of the rivers at downtown Dayton to form what is considered to be the world's largest outdoor fountain (last I heard anyway). We were around when they went off - so I was able to play around a little bit....I didn't have quite the angle I wanted to really showcase the fountain the way I wanted too - that will take some special planning some other time....

Weather held together for us pretty well...even though we were supposed to get some rain moving in. As it got dark storm clouds were building pretty good...but I really wanted to end our session in the historic Oregon District...we saw a little bit of lightning in the distance - but headed the few blocks over there to see if we could squeeze it in. Right after we got out of our cars - the wind blew up BIG TIME! Apparently 50 mph gusts as I learned later...I gave them the option to call it a night - but they said "whatever you think"....I said "let's shoot!" It was potentially getting pretty nasty fast - so we did a few shots under a train trestle next to where we parked - a good safe spot to start with until we could read the weather a little better!

After a few shots it looked "reasonably" safe... :) So we went on our merry way down the street...I had to hit the good ol' Bonnett's Books and their cool little doorway....

At this point it was obvious we were going to have a bit more of a storm...so we started heading the couple blocks back to the cars as the lightning increased...

Then I saw a little more "cool light" so I had them stop one more time..even though I got a couple decent "straightforward" cool shots - I also got a couple ultra low detail shots that I absolutely love...

I also got their reaction as the lightning intensified.... :)

(you know I'm loving this by now, right?)

Earlier in the night (when the weather was fine) I told them how badly I would love to do a Street Session in the rain - I just thought that would be so cool! As we headed back to the cars - it started to very lightly rain and I turned to them and said: "You realize that if it starts pouring before we reach the cars I'm going to ask you to stand out in it while I shoot away don't you?"....Jeremy said "We'd do it..." No sooner did he say that as we were a few feet from the cars and it started to pour....and away we went! We shot for maybe 5 minutes was all - rattling off a couple dozen or so frames...it was great practice...for the next time.. :)

Photography tutoring and coaching is coming soon!

I thought I would give you a heads up for the photography tutoring I will be offering starting in August. More than ever I’ve been getting requests from people who want to learn how to get the most out of their DSLR cameras, especially from parents who mostly want to take great photos of their children. Whether it be general photos, playing sports and capturing other action, or taking some nice portraits, it’s easier than ever for people to do so with even just a little bit of coaching!

There are a variety of things in the works, including some opportunities for aspiring professionals and advanced amateurs – workshops, etc…look for more details on those a little later on. I would suggest subscribing to the blog to get the first word on those events. For now, I will be offering some one on one coaching. This is strictly for those that own DSLR cameras (where you can change the lenses). At the moment I am offering the following two sessions:

Basics Crash Course (4 hours $175)
I will show you, with your camera (and mine) the key functions you need to know that will help you get the most out of your camera. I will help get you out of “automatic” and “scene modes”. You will learn about white balance, changing key settings, understanding light and what to look for, lenses and lens selection, and I will go through many of your menus with you and show you tips and tricks to up your picture performance big time!

Extended Crash Course with Shooting (4 hours $275)
This is especially designed for the parent that really wants to learn how to get some great shots of their children and/or pets(s). This will be a special session where we will spend about 3 hours going through the basics and demonstrating, then in the last hour we will put to use what we have learned and photograph your child/children or pet(s). We will have subjects! This will include tips on shooting in a natural, photojournalistic style, and a little posing too if we can. The extra benefit to this is that I will also be shooting and you will receive a set of my files from the shoot also, with reprinting rights! A small handful of my shots will be completely edited for you as well. This is like getting the education and a photo shoot too!

Availability will be limited on these and based on my schedule. I will take on sessions as I can. More details will follow….if you would like to get a jump on the scheduling of a session let me know!